Article for Women Issues

Flowers Truly Reach Your Soul.

Flowers are a heartfelt
natural way to lift our spirits. They can provide a smile for a tired face or brighten a room for a convalescent. Just imagine your favourite flower. Are you smiling yet? You are obviously in a better mood.

There is not a doubt that beautiful surroundings provide us with a favourite environment that helps us thrive. Flowers are an elementary and affordable way to add a splash of color and emotion into your life.

Tropical flowers are an exciting new change from traditional floral gifts like roses
and with modern shipping methods a tropical bouquet is available worldwide. Their massive size and vibrant colors produce an impressive gift for favourite occasions like Mother's Day
Valentine's Day
birthdays and anniversaries.

Flowers can be purchased from local florists or even "Grower Direct" services that ship them worldwide. If purchasing flowers to be shipped
it is vital to ensure that someone is waiting to pick up the delivery and that it is not left with the mail on a back porch in the sun all afternoon until someone comes home from at six o็lock. Flowers are shipped without any water to sustain them
and hours of neglect on top of the shipping time can take days off their lifespan.

If you acquire tropical flowers like heliconias or even gingers
or even if you were lucky enought to live in the tropics and have them for your garden
just remember a few select tips to help them thrive and to extend their shelf life as cut flowers.

Caring for Cut Tropical Flowers.

1. Water your plants well and give them a big drink before cutting. This is important for foliage plants as well because some species “drink” incredibly little after cutting. Instead
they live off their stored sap. Tropical plants have adapted to their natural environment which means frequent however short periods of massive tropical downpour.

Look at the flower heads and notice how the petals are “cupped” to catch and store as much water as possible. These plants drink from the top and like being showered with water. Look at the pattern on the leaves. The ridges channel water down to the stem where it's absorbed into the many layers of the plant.

2. If your flowers have been out of water for any length of time after cutting
submerge them totally in the bath for half an hour prior to placing them in a vase.

3. Cut 3 to 4 inches off the stem and then place them in a tall vase FULL of clean water.

4. Employ a spray bottle to mist them at least twice a day.

5. Change the water and trim a new end on the stems each 2nd or even third day. You are able to double the vase life of your cut flowers by applying these simple techniques.